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Iran opposition figure Mousavi and wife diagnosed with Covid-19

Former premier Mir Hossein Mousavi, 79, has been under house arrest for nearly a decade after the controversial 2009 elections
Mir Hossein Mousavi was a reformist candidate in the controversial election of 2009, which was won by hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (AFP)

Iranian opposition figure Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife have tested positive for Covid-19, a news website reported on Sunday. 

Mousavi and his wife, Zahra Ranavard, were "examined by a doctor at their home... and their general state of health is good," according to website Kaleme website, close to the former prime minister-turned-dissident. 

Mousavi, 79, along with Mehdi Karroubi, 83, were reformist candidates in the controversial presidential election of 2009, which was won by hardline populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. 

They claimed the vote was rigged, triggering months of mass protests dubbed the "Green Movement". 

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Hundreds of thousands took to the streets, particularly in the capital Tehran, in the biggest challenge to the system since the Islamic revolution of 1979. 

Mousavi, who had been prime minister from 1981 to 1989, and Karroubi were placed under house arrest without trial in early 2011, along with their wives.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called their opposition movement "sedition" and repeatedly demanded the two men repent before receiving any pardon.

Iran has been battling the Middle East's deadliest novel coronavirus outbreak since February.

It has recorded almost 41,500 deaths out of 762,000 cases, according to official figures considered even by Iranian officials to be underestimates.     

Authorities are considering imposing new nationwide anti-pandemic restrictions from 21 November, after reporting a record 12,453 cases on Sunday, according to the health ministry.

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